A day in the life of billionaire Richard Branson, who always carries a pen, despises ties, and drinks up to 20 cups of tea a day

After founding Virgin Records in 1972, the mogul went on to establish the Virgin Group conglomerate, get knighted by the Queen of England, and accrue a personal fortune of about $5 billion, according to Forbes.

"There's nothing quite like the feeling of freedom, exhilaration, and oneness with nature that comes from kiting – and the extraordinary rush of adrenaline it gives you," he wrote in a blog post.

Getting an early start to the day isn't only about exercising. Branson lives on Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands, which he bought for about $320,000 in 1979. "Living in the BVI, I like to be online early, so that I am accessible and available to our offices in other time zones," he wrote.

"Being a modern business leader is all about having your finger on the pulse and knowing what you're talking about. I'm always checking in with our Virgin teams," Branson wrote on his blog.

Carrying a notebook also keeps him on track. "My secret 'life hack' has also been to write it down! I can't tell you where I'd be if I hadn't had a pen on hand to write down my ideas as soon as they came to me," Branson wrote in a blog post.

When it comes to food, Virgin's website reports that Branson enjoys egg sandwiches, along with "his wife's stews, shepherds pie or a Great British roast dinner."

The Virgin founder has many hobbies, like playing chess. Some of his past times, however, are somewhat unusual ...

... like constantly striving to break world records. In 1985, Branson's boat, the Virgin Atlantic Challenger, sunk just before breaking the trans-Atlantic speed record. Branson and the crew were rescued, and went on to break the record in 1986.